by Joe Cady
The 2nd reading for this Sunday comes from the beginning of St. Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, and after his initial greeting, he gives thanks to God for the people of Thessalonica, calling to mind their “work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope.” Clearly, it seems, the Christians community in that city had a reputation of faithfulness and of being a people who bore witness to the Gospel through their faith, hope, and love. As I thought about this, I was reminded of the importance of letting our faith truly transform us and inform our way of living. As followers of Jesus Christ, the world should (hopefully) see us as a people known to “work in faith and labor in love” – to be a people whose lives are attractive because they are marked by “endurance in hope” even in the midst of difficult times.
I think St. Paul’s words provide us with a good opportunity to consider: Is my faith attractive? Do others see me as a person of faith, hope, and love? Does my time of worship in Mass on Sundays inform my witness through the rest of the week? I came across a statement of Pope Francis’ recently that beautifully captured the impact that going to church ought to have on our lives: “A disciple of Jesus goes to church to encounter the Lord and to find in his grace, operating in the sacraments, the power to think and act according to the Gospel.” This is so profoundly simple and yet so beautiful. The ultimate goal and effect of our lives within the Church should be to go forth into the world as people who “think and act according to the Gospel” – people who reflect the joy of being in a relationship with Jesus Christ and live according to the way of love presented to us in the Gospel.
Pope Paul VI said, “the first means of evangelization is the witness of an authentically Christian life,” and that “modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses” (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 42). And John Paul II said, “the evangelical witness which the world finds most appealing is that of concern for people, and of charity toward the poor, the weak and those who suffer” (Redemptoris Missio, 42). As followers of Jesus Christ, the world will pay far more attention to what we do than to what we say. This doesn’t mean we should avoid speaking about our faith, but it does mean that if our words are really going to be effective, they must be accompanied by a life consistent with our message. As St. Peter said, “always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15). Explicit proclamation of the Gospel is important and can never be neglected, but it is the witness of our lives that will provide us with an opportunity to share the good news with our words. If people don’t see our faith as actually changing us and making us better, they will have no reason to consider embracing that faith for themselves.
Sherry Weddell, in a wonderful book called Forming Intentional Disciples, speaks of the “thresholds of conversion” that lead to a life of discipleship. The first threshold, she says, is trust, which she describes as “a positive association with Jesus Christ, the Church, a Christian believer, or something identifiably Christian.” She goes on to say that “without some kind of bridge of trust in place, people will not move closer to God.” In our efforts to bear witness to the Gospel throughout our lives, we can ask ourselves, Do my encounters with others leave them with a positive association with the faith? Does the way I speak and act help build a bridge of trust for non-believers?
This is where the importance of an attractive faith become clear; if the way we portray the Gospel and Christianity in the world isn’t something perceived as beautiful and good, people will never come to see it as true. However, when the light of Christ and the joy of the Gospel shine forth in our lives, we can become a means by which trust (or a positive association with the faith) is built. And this trust makes it possible for others to journey further along that path of conversion: through curiosity, openness, seeking, and then ultimately, through surrendering their lives to Christ and living as intentional disciples.
Sherry Weddell says, “we earn such trust primarily through relationships: through the integrity, compassion, warmth, and joy of our own life and faith.” The reality is that when most people look at Christianity they aren’t asking, “Is this true?” but rather, “Why should I care?” Therefore, our job (or at least, an important part of it) is to be a living testament to the Gospel as good news. This isn’t always easy, and I certainly have not perfected this myself. But my prayer is that all of us might continually allow ourselves to be transformed by the Gospel and be fashioned into a people whose “work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope” serve as a means of drawing others to Jesus Christ.